A good quarter is followed by a meltdown; a decent half precedes a debacle.

A takeaway is wasted by a failed possession; good early-down work is wiped out by a penalty.

The one constant for the Jaguars this year has been a lull when they allow the opponent to take over a game.

Another chapter was added Sunday against the New York Jets at EverBank Field.

This time it was the third quarter and the Jaguars were unable to recover from the team-wide collapse, falling 17-10 to the Jets.

“We have to try and eliminate the ups and downs and find a way to be more consistent,” center Brad Meester said. “We just have to find a way to pull it out in the end.”

The on-field search has three games remaining.

Down a field goal at halftime, the Jets scored the next 17 points and outgained the Jaguars 99-6 in the third quarter.

“It was bad,” fullback Greg Jones said. “We didn’t execute anything.”

The Jaguars mounted a late comeback, cutting the lead to a touchdown on Montell Owens’ 32-yard touchdown with 7:06 left. In the final minute, they converted two fourth downs before Chad Henne’s throwaway attempt was intercepted by Ellis Lankster at the Jets’ 4 with 15 seconds remaining.

Just call them Team Too Little Too Late.

Also call them 2-11.

The Jaguars continued to build on the worst season in franchise history. They remain tied with Kansas City for last in the NFL.

The inconsistency is equal parts maddening (because of the mistakes) and expected (struggling teams never put together complete games).

But some of the Jaguars’ valleys this year have been astonishing – outscored 38-0 by Chicago in the second half, 20-3 by Oakland in second half/overtime, 21-0 by Detroit in the second quarter, 23-3 by Houston in the fourth quarter/overtime and last week, 17-0 in the second half by Buffalo.

Not surprisingly, the Jaguars lost each game.

The Jaguars used two takeaways — a Jason Babin sack/fumble and a Derek Cox-forced fumble — to pitch their first opening-half shutout of the year. They led 3-0 on Josh Scobee’s 31-yard field goal.

But quickly, the bad habits resurfaced.

The Jaguars’ first four second-half possessions: No first downs, one completed pass, two sacks allowed and four punts.

The Jets’ first four second-half possessions: 17 points and one punt. Shonn Greene scored a 1-yard touchdown run, Nick Folk kicked a 44-yard field goal and Bilal Powell scored a 4-yard touchdown run … all in less than 12 minutes.

“Everybody here knows it was the tale of one quarter that changed the momentum of the game,” Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said. “For whatever reason, they started to run the football and we weren’t effective offensively with the three-and-outs.”

The reason for the Jets’ rushing success — 116 yards in the second half — came from a strategy change.

“They came out with a look we hadn’t seen on film,” said safety Dwight Lowery, citing the Jets’ blocking scheme that created wide creases of running room between the tackles. “If it’s not scouted, it’s hard to figure out where guys fit while you’re on the field.”

A week after the Bills tuned up the Jaguars for 232 rushing yards, the Jets rushed 42 times for 166 yards. Powell carried 19 times for 78 yards and Greene 20 times for 77 yards.

The Jets didn’t need Tim Tebow — the Jacksonville native was active as the backup quarterback but didn’t see the field for a third consecutive game. Heck, they didn’t really need Mark Sanchez (12-of-19 for 111 yards).

What the Jaguars wanted — Sanchez forced to throw on third down — they didn’t make happen.

And without receiver Cecil Shorts, the Jaguars didn’t get anything downfield offensively. Henne’s longest completion was 28 yards to Jordan Shipley and that was on the final drive.

But they had a chance late.

Owens’ touchdown run — the Jaguars’ second-longest rush of the year — came on a second-and-17.

“They overloaded on one side and I saw some things pre-snap and sure enough, it opened up,” Owens said.

The teams traded punts and the Jets were able to burn clock when Sanchez found tight end Jeff Cumberland for a 37-yard completion down the middle. When the Jaguars held and retained possession, 1:43 remained and they had no timeouts.

Henne converted a fourth-and-15 (28 to Shipley) and a fourth-and-2 (7 yards to Kevin Elliott) to give the Jaguars life at the Jets 28 with 27 seconds remaining. After an incompletion, Henne was under heat when left tackle Eugene Monroe got beat in protection. Off his back foot, Henne’s floating throwaway attempt was intercepted.

“I was just trying to get it as far out of bounds as I could and it just didn’t end up that way,” said Henne, who was 21-of-43 passing for 185 yards.

Once again, the Jaguars were left to lament why they couldn’t turn good breaks or plays into great results.

“We need things like [takeaways] to happen to help us win,” Mularkey said. “We’re just coming up short, for one reason or another.”

They're playing in London! They're playing in London! They're playing in London! Khan must hate us! Khan wants to move the team to London. No, wait, Khan wants to move the team to LA so he can be even farther from London!

Undies all wadded up, tiny hands all wrung out, shrill squeeling and terror-filled audible fretting. The Ladies of London just "know" the team's moving there. They just know because they're gifted with knowledge of the future, like when they predicted Timmy Tebow would start for the Jets by game 6 this year.They just know!

Khan says no moving, Lassies. And if he does he'll certainly lose nothing here with you Maidens of Moving predicting it even before he took over ownership. Now just relax. You don't have to emulate the Jags every time they make fools of themselves.